“Lord Of The Rings” Star Sean Astin Talks About Bipolar Disorder And Calls For Earlier Symptom Recognition

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Actor Sean Astin, best known for his role as Sam Gamgee in the Oscar-winning “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, is willing to share his personal experience living with a family member diagnosed with bipolar disorder in order to help increase awareness of the symptoms associated with the condition.

Astin witnessed the condition’s trademark highs and lows throughout his childhood when his mother, actress Patty Duke, experienced symptoms of undiagnosed bipolar disorder for years before receiving an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Duke’s delayed diagnosis is not uncommon and mirrors the results of a new survey of more than 500 people with bipolar disorder, which shows an average delay of 13 years between symptom onset and diagnosis.

The survey, which was conducted online by Harris Interactive and sponsored by AstraZeneca, included 500 persons medically diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

“Though my mom was the one who struggled with the symptoms, the…

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Bipolar disorder is not a character flaw: Finally! (A psychiatrist speaks out)

So today marks World Bipolar Day and generally speaking, people with Bipolar Disorder continue to experience stigma, discrimination and misunderstanding. Today Professor Phil Mitchell, Head of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, spoke in defence of sufferers such as myself, noting that Bipolar should be treated no differently than other illnesses such as diabetes or cancer.  He goes on to note that people with lived experience of Bipolar don’t intend to make life difficult for either themselves or others and that as a mood disorder much of the associated symptoms are like other diseases.

I feel that this article is well timed and for a change, I feel as though I have a psychiatrist batting in my corner, it hasn’t always been like that. When I first visited a psychiatrist (at the recommendation of my psychologist), I was as yet undiagnosed and obviously un-medicated. I spoke to this psychiatrist the same way in which I spoke to most people, you see at the time I identified as a medium and psychic. As we sat down I spoke to him of his dead Aunt, who I believed was standing next to him and giving me messages to relay. Needless to say by the time our session was complete I had a script for anti-psychotics and mood stabilisers. I went back to my psychologist and he recommended I seek another opinion, just to be sure.

I sought out another psychiatrist, this time a female and from a different cultural background. This was important to me, since I felt perhaps her diverse cultural experience may impact on the outcome of my diagnosis, or at least on the medication regime prescribed. I wasn’t disappointed. I still came out with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, although this time it was Type II, not Type I. She also felt we should begin with mood stabilisers only. Her words had a huge impact on me, since both in and out of hospital, my experience with Psychiatrists left a lot to be desired. She mentioned that I was reporting spiritual phenomena and that (in her opinion) there were things that psychiatry couldn’t explain. She challenged the status quo by asking who she was to contest my perceptions that I was indeed a physic and a medium. She shared with me some of the cultural singularities that still takes place in her home country, all of which involved shamanic practices and fortune telling. That was a number of years ago and I have remained relatively well on the mood stabilisers and have had no need for anti-psychotics (although I still hear voices and see things that may not be there).

I manage to raise my children well, hold down a part time job and continue studying at university. I recognise that people see me as eccentric or some such thing and I have had it reported to me that I’m (apparently) quite unusual in my approach to life and to my role as a manager.

The article goes on to talk about the way in which people with Bipolar Disorder need support around them, similar to the other illnesses mentioned, helpful partners, doctors and friends/colleagues all go to make our journey more bearable. This takes me to a time when I was supporting my mother through cancer. She had days where she was so unwell (physically and mentally), so exhausted and so run-down that she couldn’t get out of bed, while other days she was able to go about functioning relatively normally. I resigned from a job to take care of her almost full-time. I would take her to appointments, make her meals, sit with her and keep her company. She came through in the end and is in full remission.

When I ‘came out’ to my parents about my diagnosis of Bipolar the look of horror and confusion said it all. My father explicitly asked whether I was like ‘them’ (meaning the service users I had worked with in my mental health role). Although I left literature around for my parents, my illness remains a taboo topic and one, which they avoid at all costs. I could take up the baton and really ‘get to the bottom of it’ with them, although I feel this is more effort than it is worth. I have enough friends and supports around me to not need to go into battle with them in relation to their own stigma. This is how I feel about my illness, battling ignorance, misinformation and stigma are constants in my life and in order to not become completely worn down, I need to choose my battles carefully.

Currently I work proudly with a mental health organisation that educates the police/services, community, schools and clinicians to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental illness. I’ve had a great number of conversations with federal and state police and mental health clinicians who are engaged and enthused to address the matter of mental health stigma. Coming across this article today was a reminder that not all are against ‘us’ and that reducing stigma by people both with and without lived experience is the best way to go. When a Psychiatrist can speak so boldly about such matters, I know that, while we have some way to go, things are changing for the better.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/30/bipolar-disorder-not-character-flaw-psychiatrist

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Bipolar Disorder & Unemployment

In relation to my lived experience of Bipolar Disorder, there have been some highlights of my career and some areas that I work to improve and I have come to recognise that both are interchangeable. A recognised trait of my workplace practice is that of ‘innovation’. I’ve worked managing programs for more than a decade, in fact it has almost been two-decades if I were to be honest. I bring to program management…

…and development an ‘outside of the square’ approach to development of content and the implementation of mentioned programs.

In this respect, I have found myself in circumstances whereby I rapidly progress through an organisation, since employers often see my innovation and creative approach to management as an enduring trait or feature, when in reality, I have come to see that it is one of many facets of my illness, bipolar disorder.

It isn’t unusual to read about the linkages between bipolar and ‘creativity’ (how ever this may manifest). For someone such as myself, this can work as an advantage, since it can set me apart from colleagues who have an alternative method of cognition. While I recognise that my illness is relatively well contained, (I can hold a job, even if temporarily and I have studied at post-graduate level, even if my study is punctuated with hospitalisation), and that others have difficulty managing day-to-day living, it all becomes relative and in my case what initially arises as an organisational benefit can (as does) become a liability given time.

I have come to reflect that there are particular symptoms associated with bipolar disorder which affect me in the workplace and not in my private sphere. Where as a private citizen I can ride the peaks of my euphoria through art, music and writing, this must be done within my own time and according to my own agenda. The organisational context simply doesn’t permit this. By this I mean that (even on medication) my euphoric states can see me create well into the night, with the obvious repercussion of exhaustion the day following and the day after that. This simply doesn’t work in an organisational context, where the hours I work are dictated by powers (and logic) beyond me.

As do many with bipolar disorder, I have bursts of engagement and clarity with the pay-off of down periods and depression (usually as a recuperative measure which is out of my control). This moments of elation see me producing some of my greatest works. When these episodes of mania go unaddressed or begin to spiral out of control, I lose the creativity, the insight and direction that I so desire.

Up until my latest role, I have never identified as having a lived experience if bipolar disorder, and so from the surface (resume in hand) I appear highly functional and able to ‘cope’ in the world created around me. Hiding in the closet tends towards me gradually becoming undone. I can tend towards spiralling into paranoia, and when very stressed, I head back towards my delusions and hallucinations. Looking at my current role, I can see the benefit of coming out of the closet, both for myself and the organisation. You see, my current role is an identified position. The organisation actually encouraged people with ‘lived experience’ to apply. This is most unusual, considering it is a senior role. In my new position I can head into work and disclose that “I didn’t sleep well last night, and I’m feeling quite elated”, “I’m feeling exceptionally sad/down and I have no understanding of why”…these statements and the ability to express them, see my team gather around me (or give me space depending on what I need) and my manager allocate work that suits my current state of mind. This is hugely effective and I know I am fortunate to have such a position in such a supportive organisation.

This approach to enabling people to identify as having a lived experience acts to benefit the individual, the team and the organisation, since as we know, there are plenty of people in the workplace who are unable to disclose their mental illness, which undoubtedly (and through experience) only furthers the symptoms and effects of the mental illness itself.

Why can’t we have identified roles in organisations, such as we do for particular culturally diverse people and gender specific roles. Identified roles act to support the individual and to build work-place and personal esteem. It enables an organisation to experience first-hand the value of employing someone with a mental illness and to harness the unique capabilities a person with lived experience can provide. I don’t mean to romanticise mental illness by any means, since the employment of myself comes with some organisational cost…winter is a season when I require extra down time, while spring is a time to embrace my zest for life. I don’t ask for special concession in my identified role, simply because I don’t need to. Concession isn’t given, understanding and empathy are and in-turn I infuse my creative nature into my role and the programs I manage.

While in the closet I managed to have some great success in putting programs on the map. Taking local programs and receiving national recognition. While this was hugely advantageous to the organisation, this practice was not sustainable, since as a person with bipolar disorder, once I hit the mark I am looking for the next adventure, the next program to establish…I simply don’t do repetition well. I have found now, an organisation that actively moves staff between roles and programs in order to keep those who need regular (in my case 2-yearly) stimulation. It works well and it works to everyone’s advantage.

For people such as myself, those able to work while managing mental illness, I would call for more identified roles, which act to provide equity to those with lived experience while also harnessing all that such a diverse population has to offer. The identified role I currently have is not the norm. I wish it were. It is only a matter of time before my next creative influx that I begin to have a closer look at ‘identified roles’ – high level roles which harness intelligence and support all involved, all while offering an educational experience to the broader community. Here’s to the next 2 years.